The fearless fun of Benjamin Herman’s Dutch jazz

By Mel Minter

Don’t let the suit and tie fool you. Alto saxophonist Benjamin Herman, voted the Best Dressed Dutchman of 2008 by Esquire magazine, may favor the buttoned-up look of fashionably tailored threads, but he’s one of the most unbuttoned players on the jazz scene today. Herman seems ready to play anything, anytime—as long as everyone involved is having a good time and ready to dance.

“Vaudeville” traditionally refers to mixed entertainment on the same bill, and Le Serpent Rouge is just that. A trio of belly dancers, The Indigo, weaves its act between two live musical groups, each old-timey in its own way—the Crow Quill Night Owls and the Gallus Brothers. The show is touted as “vintage cabaret with ragged edges,” implying a touch of disorder or a bit of bawdiness. Or both.

Three fine ladies draped in vintage glam sing vaudevillian songs to accordion and tuba. A smoky-voiced vixen croons torch songs about the devil over moody piano. Susan Hwang, Mia Pixley and Maria Sonevytsky are the Debutante Hour—and it’s quite a smart and sexy 60 minutes. With great voices and bluesy harmonies, the band questions world views, religion and self-identity. “Miracle Birth”—which includes hilarious synopses of the Immaculate Conception and Athena bursting from Zeus’ head, among others—is exemplary of The Debutante Hour’s aplomb. It manages to raise intelligent issues and treat them cheekily, all in the guise of sultry cabaret tunes.

¡Mayday! • Demrick • DJ Stigmata • Septicemia Records • rap, hip-hop

By Adam Wood

I’m not sure that the concept of “genre” is really relevant anymore in the realm of music. The days of “pure” music are long gone, and while this might leave some “old-heads” grumbling over message boards about the loss of “real rap” or “real jazz,” I think that for the most part this is a good thing. The possibilities are more abundant than ever before as artists dip their fingers in any number of genres and traditions. ¡MAYDAY! is one group embracing this diversity in their quest for success…